Best F1 game for the SNES

[majinbuu]

Now that the F1 season has just begun I feel like playing a F1 racer on the SNES. What do you guys recommend as the game to try. If possible I'd like to try both an arcade style of game where you can smash the hell out of the car and run off track and not die, and also I would like to try a more simulation/realistic based one.

Can't wait for Webber to beat that smug little Vettel tomorrow.

[Leo_A]

After watching qualifying, I sadly think Vettel has it in the bag.

As for games, F1 Race of Champions (Not #2, which was futuristic) and Nigel Mansell's World Championship are my suggestions.

[jammajup]

You never know on race day though guys do not forget accidents happen but Vettel sure looks strong and Hamilton is looking better than last season already.
Anyways my suggestion was F1 Exhust Heat but have just realised it is the Jpn version of the game Leo has suggested `F1 Race Of Champions` doh!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkpJnEuOKfY&feature=related

[majinbuu]

Thanks

Both games look good, will try them out later when I get some time. Are there any others worth looking at or are these considered the best ones?

Yeah, race day is unpredictable. With the new tyres this year, KERS and DRS it's gonna take the drivers a while to get used to the new setup. Some are already struggling, and nearly everyone is in the dark on how the tyres are going to hold up.

[Greg2600]

After an emulator session, this is my "open wheel racing" on the SNES review.

F1 ROC used Mode 7, and looks like Super Mario Kart, but with a terribly drawn car with no detail. F1 ROC II looks like F-Zero, with similarly badly drawn cars. Control in both games is just okay.

F1 Pole Position has the real tracks and drivers, and uses Mode 7 I think, but the control is maybe the worst ever! It's like playing Night Driver on 2600 with a D-pad. Too bad, because it has great audio, F1 PP II the control is like the original Pole Position, but 10 times worse. I'm not sure if that's because you have to change the car setup, but who cares, it stinks.

Nigel Mansell's F-1/World Challenge has in-car driving, probably the best control, but the audio is bad, and there's something wrong I think with the game because the car doesn't seem to speed up in 6th gear.

Finally there's F1 World Championship Edition by Acclaim and Dormark. Avoid it like the plague.

Al Unser Jr.'s Road to the Top has various modes, including Indy cars. It's horrible.

Michael Andretti's Indy car Challenge is interesting because it used a DSP-1 chip. Graphically it's nice, though the audio cuts out in the emu, and the control is weird, but its decent. Has the full Indy car track schedule.

Newman Hass Indy Car Racing is a sequel to the Nigel Mansel F1 game, but with the Indy car tracks. Its probably the best game in terms of driving control.

In summation, sadly nearly all of these games were seriously flawed. I guess limited by technology. Back then, I rent a few, but wound up buying Papyrus Indy car racing on PC and stuck with that.

PS: I think we've got the best Australian driver in the world over in the current IndyCar series, Will Power!

[Sysop]

If you are willing to deviate from the SNES, I recommend getting a game from the Grand Prix series of games for the PC. They will suit your racing needs.

[InsaneDavid]

As for games, F1 Race of Champions

F1 ROC is my choice as well.

For all time favorite F1 game my pick is still the original Formula 1 release on the PS1. Turning laps around Spa for hours on end while my websites updated via FTP over my 48k modem in the late 90's... ah, memories.

[Steven]

F-1 ROC II is a good choice.

Here's an obscure-ish Super Famicom-only rec: SD F-1 Grand Prix. It's a nice Super Mario Kart clone. http://www.rvgfanatic.com/6501/85901.html

http://www.rvgfanatic.com/mediac/400_0/media/DIR_86201/SDF1-7.gifhttp://www.rvgfanatic.com/mediac/400_0/media/DIR_86201/SDF1-8.gif

[sniperCCJVQ]

Nigel Mansell is surely the closest best thing even if the sound suck a bit but i get used to after a while

[Leo_A]

We'll find out soon. The green flag for the Australian Grand Prix is coming up pretty soon. :)


F-1 ROC II is a good choice.

Here's an obscure-ish Super Famicom-only rec: SD F-1 Grand Prix. It's a nice Super Mario Kart clone. http://www.rvgfanatic.com/6501/85901.html

Are you sure you know what Formula One is? It's more than just a letter and a number, which is the only qualification these two games fulfill. It's a real life sanctioning body that manages the premier international racing series of the world that puts on upwards of 20 grand prix's spread across the globe each year that form a world championship.

I really don't think he was after a Mario Kart or F-Zero clone. ;)


Nigel Mansell's F-1/World Challenge has in-car driving, probably the best control, but the audio is bad, and there's something wrong I think with the game because the car doesn't seem to speed up in 6th gear.

I never paid attention to the gearing (It's just a SuperNes version of the sport, it's not like it's a PC simulation), but I think the sound is just fine. It sounds like the engines are turbocharged, which is incorrect for that time period, but the sound effects get the job done without being annoying. It's easily the best rendition of F1 on the system, in my opinion.


Finally there's F1 World Championship Edition by Acclaim and Dormark. Avoid it like the plague.

Too bad, since the Amiga and Genesis games were great. You can tell that Acclaim was responsible for programming this game.


Michael Andretti's Indy car Challenge is interesting because it used a DSP-1 chip. Graphically it's nice, though the audio cuts out in the emu, and the control is weird, but its decent. Has the full Indy car track schedule.

I didn't like it. I think it's just too primitive by modern standards. I might've been able to enjoy it in 1993, but by 2000 or so when I got it, time had passed this Mode 7 racer by. Something like Nigel Mansell's World Championship still seems competent (Bought at the same time) and well done even today. I especially love the 16 bit renditions of the national anthems for each country that play if you win for each nationality.

Gremlin really went the extra mile with this game and it still shows today just like it does with games like Top Gear from them (The best racer on the system). That developer was probably the king at developing sprite based racers at home in the late 80's and early 90's just before the 3D polygonal era. Too bad they never got a crack at arcade hardware since I bet they could've produced some amazing coinops.


Newman Hass Indy Car Racing is a sequel to the Nigel Mansel F1 game, but with the Indy car tracks. Its probably the best game in terms of driving control.

It's okay and is still playable while not being hard on the eyes. But it just seems lacking. It doesn't fail in any particular area, but it doesn't excel in any either. It's a very average game that I doubt will hold anyone's attention in 2011 for very long.

One of Gremlin's few weak racers, in my opinion.


In summation, sadly nearly all of these games were seriously flawed. I guess limited by technology. Back then, I rent a few, but wound up buying Papyrus Indy car racing on PC and stuck with that.

Papyrus was certainly at the top when it came to realistic racers (And iRacing holds the crown today, which is composed of many of the former employees of Papyrus).

If we weren't limited to the SuperNes with this thread, I'd of selected their Grand Prix Legends. It simulates the 1967 season and still holds the crown as the best F1 simulation to date.

If you want to enjoy more good 16 bit F1 racers, the Genesis is the way to go. Super Monaco GP, Super Monaco GP II, Domark's games (Formula One, and a Euro exclusive sequel), Ferrari Grand Prix Challenge, and Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing (The Genesis port of the SuperNes game) were all good games that are still enjoyable today.

[majinbuu]

Thanks for the help guys. Now that the SNES F1 racers have been covered and some Genesis ones also I have a pretty big list to choose from.

On the PC front I remember one from the early/mid 90's that I used in VGA mode on my 486, I think by Microprose. Is this the game Sysop was referring to?

[Leo_A]

Yes, the 4 Grand Prix games came from Microprose so it must've been one of the first two games.

They were pretty much the only company that challenged Papyrus' dominance in the PC racing simulation genre in the 90's. They complemented each other rather well since Papyrus never was able to do a modern Formula One game. Papyrus did NASCAR, IndyCar, and historic racing simulations while Microprose did modern Formula One games. Covered the major bases for top level circuit based racing pretty well in the mid to late 1990's.

Thankfully the former Papyrus guys finally got the opportunity to model a modern Williams vehicle in iRacing, on the off chance any of you are a subscriber and want to check it out (The 1978 championship winning ground effects Lotus 79 that Mario Andretti drove has also been modeled).